GLORY -- Edward Zwick

©1989
Production Company: TriStar Pictures
dir: Edward Zwick
cast: Matthew Broderick, Carey Elwes, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jihmi Kennedy, Andre Braugher

Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw, Shaw was placed in command of the first all-black regiment of soldiers during the Civil War. Shaw treated his men with respect, even though he faced obvious discrimination from his Northern compatriots.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did. What I liked was the basic story -- the history lesson (though it's certainly been adapted to be more dramatic). What I didn't like was the acting.

First, there was Broderick... not my favorite, I'll admit, but mostly because I find him dull and boring. Here, he was dull and boring AND trying to add some strange British accent (if it wasn't supposed to be British, it came off that way, [I thought he was supposed to be from Boston]). I feel he is one of the most lackluster "stars" currently working in the industry, and the ridiculous, fake goatee just made him look even more like a weak actor trying to portray something different.

Then there was Carey Elwes. He seemed totally wrong for this part, though admittedly the part had little meat to it. His chewing on the giant cigars made him look like a little kid trying to act grown up. I never believed his cocky, self-assurance, or his ability as a soldier, much less a commander.

And then there was Denzel Washington. I know that he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but then I haven't had much faith in the Oscars since the mid 1980's. I thought Washington was WAYYY over the top, and trying much too hard to show us his wide variety of emotions during the whipping scene. Even Broderick did a better job of going through the emotional turmoil of the moment while attempting to maintain composure.

The gems in the film were Morgan Freeman, whose understated role was well maintained. I would have liked to have seen more of him and his association with Broderick.

Also, Andre Braugher brought credibility to his role as the educated black man who struggled to keep up with the hard-working, former-slaves-turned-soldiers.

While I'm glad that I finally watched this movie, I can't imagine ever desiring to see it again.